countriemen." Thus saith William Malmesburie.

¶ But heere you must consider, that the said Malmesburie departed this
life about the beginning of the reigne of king Henrie the second,
certeine yéers before the bones of Arthur were found (as ye haue
heard.) But omitting this point as néedles to be controuerssed, &
letting all dissonant opinions of writers passe, as a matter of no
such moment that we should néed to sticke therein as in a glewpot;
we will procéed in the residue of such collections as we find
necessarilie pertinent to the continuation of this historie; and now
we will say somewhat of quéene Guenhera or Guenouer, the wife of the
foresaid king Arthur.

Some iudge that she tooke hir name of hir excellent beautie, bicause
Guinne or Guenne in the Welsh toong signifieth faire, so that she was
named Guennere or rather Guenlhean, euen (as you would say) the faire
or beautifull Elenor or Helen. She was brought vp in the house of one
Cador earle of Cornewall before Arthur maried hir: and as it appeareth
by writers, she was euill reported of, as noted of incontinencie &
breach of faith to hir husband, in maner as for the more part women of
excellent beautie hardlie escape the venemous blast of euill toongs,
and the sharpe assaults of the followers of Venus. The British
historie affirmeth, that she did not onelie abuse hir selfe by
vnlawfull companie with Mordred, but that also in Arthurs absence she
consented to take him to husband. It is likewise found recorded by
an old writer, that Arthur besieged on a time the marishes néere to
Glastenburie, for displeasure that he bare to a certeine lord called
Melua, who had rauished Gueneuer, and led hir into those marishes, and
there did kéepe hir. Hir corps notwithstanding (as before is recited)
was interred togither with Arthurs, so that it is thought she liued